I was wondering if anyone would be so kind to help with any recommendations as to where to live in Southern Cal. I am moving in the next 2 months and plan to take a trip or two to the area to get a feel for it. I plan to rent and am looking for an area that is a little younger as I am 25 and quite active.

I will be renting. The only recommendations I've received so far is Huntington Beach and Hermosa Beach. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Where will you be working and how much of a commute can you stand?

Any of the beach communities from Santa Monica to San Clemente or even San Diego should fit the young and active requirement but bring your checkbook. They will be more expensive than communities even a few miles inland.

I actually will be working from my apartment and will have approx. a $1500 housing allowance from my company.

Though Hermosa and Huntington are both great places to live. You should keep in mind that they are quite a trip from the center of the city. I would almost describe them as insular. If you are clubbing or bar hopping, you will be doing most of it in those beach communitites. Nothing wrong with that, but most of the hip bar crowd is in/around West Hollywood/Santa Monica. The Alternative Arts Crowd is centralized around Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park. This is not to dis the beach citites! They are lovely.
A good resource is the LA Weekly a free paper that comes out on Thursdays:
www.laweekly.com lots of info on L.A restaurants and bars.

As someone relocated to SoCal at about your age, I have to second the recommendation of Hermosa Beach. Actually, any of the South Bay beach cities (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo) would be a great choice for you.

With that budget, you can probably find a 1 br. apt. in Hermosa/Redondo. If you venture further east into Torrance, you could probable get a 2br.

To get an idea of rentals, try:

www.dailybreeze.com
www.southbayrentals.com
www.westsiderentals.com

There are lots of young, active singles living in the area. Just a few places to check out community happenings & activities:

http://www.southbayfunclub.com/home.htm
http://www.hermosawave.net/

If you are more into the entertainment industry/arts scene, you might prefer the areas around Los Feliz, etc. It really depends on what your interests are. (I lived up in LA when I first moved here, but it was really not my scene. I was much happier in the SouthBay.)

Good Luck in your quest! I'll be happy to answer any further questions.

In you age group, you would find a lot of activities in Manhattan, Hermosa or Redondo Beach. Besides the beach, there is bike riding, skating, and young people out and about on the Strand. It's a couple hours from snow skiing. My sons have had rentals in MB and North RB for less than your budget, so you will be able to find something a couple miles back from the beach.
Good Luck!
8-)

I'll add my vote for the South Bay area as well - Manhatten, Hermosa or Redondo Beach, or Torrance, El Segundo or Playa del Rey might work for you too. The lifestyle is great and lots of younger folks. There's nothing like living in So Cal - I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

You say "Southern Cal" and so far everyone is assuming you want to stay in the L.A. area. Is that right?? Or are you considering the San Diego area as well??

The beach area is a great place to live. But just remember, the closer you get to the beach, the more expensive, especially Huntington Beach, Hermosa, and Manhattan Beach. You'll be lucky to find anything within the $1500 range if you want close to the beach.
I agree that living by the beach though puts you quite a bit away from a lot of things.

krblum04, I moved to southern CA six months ago. I do not know where you are moving from, but I was surprised by a few extra costs when renting an apartment here. I had to supply my own refrigerator, which can be rented for $25 a month from a local retailer. I also have to pay electric, gas, water/ sewage/garbage (which is often included when renting in other states). I won't even go into telephone, DSL, or cable costs (if you want them)!! My point is that you might want to try and find a place for $1300 (if possible) and leave at least $200 for utilities and such.

I'd also check Long Beach as housing is less costly than the South Bay. Neighborhoods Belmont Shore /Belmont Heights/East. Because there is Cal State LB there is a young population. Local newspaper is presstelegram.com, also gazettes.com.